Means for cooling composition tile



Aug. 6, 1935. G. P. HEPPES MEANS FOR COOLING COMPOSITIONYTILE Original Filed July 5,1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 WNWN w Q Q nn M% Aug. 6, 1935. G. P. HEPPES MEANS FOR COOLING COMPOSITION TILE Original Filed July 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J H a I o mw\ l 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 G. P. HEPPES MEANS FOR COOLING COMPOSITION TILE Om'l Original Filed July 5, 1932 Aug. 6, 1935.

Aug. 6, 1935. s. P. HEPPES MEANS FOR COOLING COMPOSITION TILE Original Filed July 5, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 iim iziorx 500m P e a aes,

Patented Aug. 6, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,010,017 MEANS roa oooLmor COMPOSITION TILE George P. Heppes, Chicago Heights, 11L, assignor to The Tile-Tex Company, Chicago Heights, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application July 5, 1932, Serial No.

620,842. Divided and this application September 18, 1933, Serial No. 689,871

9 Claims.

means for making composition tile and refers particularly to a means for cooling the heated pliable slabs, from which the tile is to be cut, to

the desired temperature for cutting.

The utility, objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and following detail description.

In the drawings, Fig. 115 a top plan view of a machine suitable for carrying out my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view illustrating particularly the drive.

Fig. 3 is an opposite side elevational view to that shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a detailed sectional view illustrating particularly the reversing mechanism of the cooling unit.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a detailed perspective view of a slab of material previous to its insertion in the first calendar unit.

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view of a finished block of tile.

Referring in detail to the drawings, I indicates motor which may be adapted to serve as the driving medium for my machine. understood, of course, that any prime mover may be utilized such as steam engine, internal combustion engine or the like. The motor shaft 2 may be coupled to a speed reducing unit 3 by means of coupling 4. Shaft 5 which is the low speed shaft of the speed reducer 3 may be coupled to shaft 6 by means of coupling 1, the shaft 6 being the drive shaft for the first mixing unit 8.

The mixing unit 8 may comprise a pair of coacting rolls 9 and I 0 being disposed adjacent each other, their axes being parallel. A pinion I I may be mounted upon the drive shaft 6 and may be adapted to mesh with gear 12 which, in turn, may be mounted upon the shaft l3 of the roll II]. A gear I5 may be mounted upon shaft I 6, the same shaft which carries the co-acting roll 9. The gear 15 may be of larger diameter than the gear l4 and consequently the roll III will revolve It is to be at a greater angular velocity than the roll 9, the ratio of the angular velocity of the rolls I0 and 9 may be approximately 8 to 2. However, I do not wish to be limited to this particular differential in angular velocity inasmuch as the same may be changed to meet various conditions of operation and variations in the material worked' upon. The purpose of the differential in angular velocity will be hereinafter more fully described.

Both of the rolls 9 and It! may be of hollow construction as shown best at I! and 18 in Fig. 4, said rolls being adapted to be heated by steam introduced therein by means, not shown. This type of mixing unit wherein rolls are heated is well known to the art and it is believed that the showing of steam connections thereto is unnecessary. The rolls 9 and Ill may be supported respectively upon shafts l6 and I3 which may be journalled in the bearing blocks l9 and 20. The blocks l9 and 20 may be slidably positioned within the frames 2! mounted upon supports 22.

Screws 23 may be threadedly mounted at the ends of frames 2| and may be connected to the bearing blocks 20, the arrangement being such that by rotation of the screws 23 the blocks 20 may be moved towards or away from the blocks 19. In this manner the clearance between the peripheries of the rolls 9 and It! may be controlled.

The product of my invention, namely a floor-- ing or wall composition tile may comprise a binder such as asphalt or gilsonite, a filler and a pigment. A representative mix may comprise approximately 26% of binder, 74% filler and a suitable quantity of pigment to obtain the desired color of the final product. Many types of fillers may be used such as asbestos or other materials having like characteristics. It is to be understood, of course, that the above proportions are given merely for purposes of illustration and are not intended to serve as a limitation upon my in vention.

For purposes of illustration assume that gilsonite is used as the binder and that asbestos is used as the filler and that the materials are used in the approximate proportions suggested above. Lugs 24 may be mounted upon the frames 2| and may be adapted to support a hopper 25 which may be pivotally mounted upon said lugs. The asbestos and ground gilsonite may be introduced into the hopper 25 as shown at 26 in Fig. 4, the construction of the hopper being such as to direct the asbestos and gilsonite between the rolls 9 and I0. The temperature of the rolls 9 and I!) may be maintained as approximately 260 to 300 F., by means of the'steam introduced therein. Howframe H of the mixing unit 3.

speed reducing mechanism 3 may be connected ever, the fastest moving roll, namely roll to may be maintained at a lower temperature relative to the temperature of roll 9. The gilsonite upon contacting the hot rolls softens and the materials are formed into a more or less doughy mass which adheres to the surface of the more rapidly moving coolest roll M. The doughy mass may be stripped from the'roll l6" by means of the knife 2'! which may be constructed of brass or other material having high heat conducting properties. The mass may be stripped from theroll iii, and it may if desired be reinserted between the rolls 9 and iii and may be worked-again and this procedure may be repeated until. the consistency of the mass becomes uniform and the color thereof" reaches the desired shade. The mass may then be stripped from the roll it andmaybe removedto. the second mixing unit 28. V

The stripping knife 21 may be pivotallymounted upon the frames. H as shown best at 29in Fig. l and as'has been hereinbefore mentioned'said stripping knife may be constructed of brass or other material having high heat'conducting-prop erties. I haveifound that 'if a material is used for the knifeZl which does not readily lose its heat, thedoug-hy material being mixedbetween therolls will adhere to the blade of the. knife which will necessi'tate frequent cleaning of the knife; However, if a brass knifeor'a'knife of the material having heat conducting properiies simi-- lar to those of brass is used, the doughy mass willnot adhere to the blade of: the knife.

The second mixing unit maycomprise rolls and 3i'mounted respectively upon shafts 32'and 3% The shafts 32- and 33 may be journalled respectively in bearing blocks 3d" and 35 whicli'may be 1 adjustable towards or" away" from" each other by mea ns of screws 36. The frames for the supportof the blocks l l and ZS-may be similar to the to shaft fill-'supported-by bearings sl and ll said connection being accomplished i through the cou-- pling lli A pinion42 may be'meunted uponthe shaft. Siiandmay be adaptedto mesh with-tl'ie gear 53 whiclninturn; maybe mounted uponshaft 33 and may'beadapted -to driVe'rOll E-l di rectly mounted upon the shafts Hand 33, thegears beingof suchdimensions as-to rotateroll 3! at a great-er: an ular velocity than I roll 38.

The doughy mass-is removed from the first mixing unit-fi inthe formof a slab or sheet of" relatively pliable material. Said material may thenbeinserted between the rolls 3% and (i i which are alsc'of hollow construction and may be steam heated; roll 35 being maintained at a lower" temperature than roll 38. Asin the case of the rolls G1: and it; themass willadhere to-the roll Si as shown best at l-t' inFigb, which-'isrevolw ing at a greater angular velocity and is cooler thanvtheroll 35: Upon milling the material in the second mixing'unit- 28 the materialPmay be further'worked and the colorv may be. brought to a -more uniform state as will be hereinafter more fully-described; trimmings from'th'e press, which cuts: thetile into the particular desired shapes, may'be mixed withthe doughy'mass Lie during its working'in' the mixing unit 28". In-this man-- ner the waste may be utilized.

After: working the material :46: in the mixing unit 28until said material possesses uniform chara'cteristics'ias "to texture and color; the same may bestripped from'the :roll s "by'means of the knife-4i which may be pivotally mounted upon- Shaft 31 0f the Gears l l and 55 may he respectively the frames M of the second mixing unit. The knife M is constructed of a material similar to the knife 2?, namely, one possessing relatively high heat conducting properties.

The strip of material taken from the roll 3| of the second mixing unit may be folded in the form shown at H5? in Fig, 9 and is next passed through a calender unit Q8. The unit it may comprise calender rolls 4% and 58 disposed adjacent each other and mounted respectively upon shafts 5i and 52, said shafts being journalled in bearing blocks 53 and Ed, the blocks 54 being adjustable toward or away from the blocks 53 by means of screws 55. The blocks 53 and may be slidably mounted Within the frame 56 which, in turn, maybesupported by the member Fill, frame 56 and-member 5? being similar in construction to theframes 2i and supports 22 of the mixing units 8 and 28.

A pinion (not shown) may be mounted upon the'shaftfie'and isadapted to mesh with gear 59 mounted upon shaft El. A gear til may also be mounted'upon'thesliaft El at its opposite end and is adapted to mesh with gear 6! mounted uponshaft 52; 'As can readily be seen the roll49 is-driven by'means of the gear 59 and due to'the intermeshingrelationship of the gears Gill and 6! which may be of equal diameters, the rolls :29 and S'Baredriven at equal angular velocities.

As a feature'of my invention I may heat'the roll 5Ei'by passing steam into the hollow'interior' thereof, said roll may be heated to atemperature of approximately to the roll 49 may bemaintained as cold as possible by circulating Water through the hollow interior thereof. At this stage the material: adheres to the surface having the highest temperature and consequently the'rnixed dough like strip taken from the mixer 28 when inserted between the calender rolls and'ell adheres-to the surface of the roll 59.

The axes of the rolls 19 and 56 may be so-adjusted' witlrrespect to eachother as to provide a clearance space between their respective adjacent surfacese'qualto. approximately a thickness 20% greaterthan the thickness of the final product, that is, the thickness of the tile. Of course, it is to be understoo'dlthat' the thickness of the strip 2 which adheres to the heated roll Bil will depend uponithecharacteristics of the material worked andvcensequently I do not Wish to be limited to the above mentioned illustrative example.

A shaft 63-may be rotatably'mounted' between the frames 56 and may carry a cut-off knife 3 which'may be of a length substantially equalto thelength of the rolls ill and The shaft 63 may be rotated'by means'of sprocket chain 65 which may pass-around sprocket wheel 86; said sprocket chain being in turn driven by the sprocketwheel El mounted upon'shaft $3 of the variable speed reducing mechanism K59; which mechanismin turn may be driven by motor l0,

said motor being connected to the mechanism 59' shaft 63 'While maintaining the rotation of the roll iitl' constant;

In carrying'out my invention the material may be passed through the machine proper in what may be termed a series-batch operation; that is,

one mix introduced into the mixer 8 and subsequently operated upon in the finishing mixer 28 and passed to the calender unit 48, may supply sufficient material to produce a plurality of unit slabs I2. As will be hereinafter more fully described, the remaining operations performed upon said slabs are in the nature of continuous operations, each slab being operated upon in series.

Subsequent to the severing of the material 62 upon the roll 58, the unit slabs I2 formed by said cutting operation may be stripped from the surface of the roll 50 by means of the stripping knife 1.3 which may be of similar material and similar construction to the knives 21 and 47 upon the mixing units 8 and 28 respectively. After being stripped from the roll 50 the slabs may be carried forwardly and upwardly upon conveyor belt M which may be carried around pulleys I5 and 76.

The arrangement is such that the rate of travel of the conveyor belt I4 is materially greater than the peripheral speed of the roll 50 which results in the unit slabs I2 being positioned upon the conveyor I4 in spaced relationship as shown best in Fig. 1. As will be hereinafter more fully described, the unit slabs I2 are subsequently operated upon by a second calender unit in which operation the material is calendered and pressed to a thickness equal to the thickness of the final product. As has been hereinbefore described the first calender unit 48 may press the material 62 to a thickness in excess of the thickness of the final product, the suggested excess being substantially 20%. Consequently, when the slabs are subsequently pressed to the final thickness of the product, said slabs expand laterally and if the the spacing upon the belt was not sufliciently great to compensate for this expanding action, said slabs would enter the subsequent mechanism too close together. Consequently, in order to maintain desirable spacing of the unit slabs, the belt I4 may travel at a rate of speed in excess of the peripheral speed of the roll 58. As an example of this increased rate of speed the following may be suggested; for a 20% excess of thickness the belt 14 may be caused to travel at a rate of speed 50% greater than the peripheral speed of the roll 50. However, I do not wish to be limited to the above cited example in that the rate of speed of the belt in excess of the peripheral speed of the roll 58 will always be dependent upon the thickness of the unit slab I2 out upon the roll 50 and also upon the desired spacing of the unit slabs from each other.

The unit slabs 12 carried upon the belt I4 are transferred when said belt passes around the pulley 16 to the conveyor belts 11 which may pass over pulleys l8 and I8, the pulleys I0 being rotated by means of sprocket chain which may pass around sprocket wheel SI mounted upon the shaft which carries the pulleys 19. The sprocket chain 80 is, in turn, driven by the sprocket wheel 82 mounted upon shaft 83. A second sprocket wheel 84 may be mounted upon shaft 83 and may be driven by sprocket chain 85 which, in turn, may be driven by the motor 80. In this manner theunit slabs delivered from the belt "I4 are carried by the belts TI to a point immediately above the rolls 81 and 88 of the second calender unit 88.

The rolls 81 and 88 may be respectively mounted upon shafts 88 and 90 which may be journailed respectively in the bearing blocks 9| and 92, slidably mounted within theframes 93 which are supported by members 94. 'The blocks 92 may be adjusted towards or away from the blocks will adhereto the warmer roll 88.

9| by means of the screws 95. A gear 96 may be mounted upon the shaft 89 and may be driven by a pinion, not shown, which may be mounted uponshaft 9'I journalled in bearings 98. A bevelled gear 99 may also be mounted upon the shaft 9'! and may be adapted to mesh with bevelled gear I80 mounted upon shaft IIlI which may be supported by bearings I02. The opposite end of shaft IOI may carry bevel gear I03 which may mesh with bevel gear I04 mounted upon shaft 38. In this manner it can be seen that the roll 49 is driven directly by the gear 98. A gear I05 may be mounted upon the opposite end of the shaft 89 and is adapted to mesh with gear I06 mounted upon the shaft 90. The gears I05 and I06 may be of equal diameters and consequently rolls 4S and 50 may be driven at equal angular velocity.

Similar to the first calender unit 48, one of the rolls, namely roll 81, may be cooled by the passage of .water therethrough whereas the other roll 88 may be heated by passing steam there through and the unit slabs I2, carried by the The unit slabs calendered in the second calender unit 89 and stripped from the roll 88 by the knife I01 are deposited upon the belt I08 and are carried forwardly by said belt, the slabs being disposed therein in spaced relationship with respect to each other and with respect to the direction of travel of the belt. The belt I 08 may travel over guide roller I I 0 which may be mounted upon support I I I and after passage thereover said belt may be carried around a substantial portion of the area of the surface of cooling drum H2. The drum I IZ'may be of hollow construction and may be suppliedwith Water or other cooling medium through the pipe I I3 which may connect into the interior of said drum. Said drum may be mountedupon shaft I I4 which may be journalled in bearings II5 mounted upon frame H6. The slabs carried by the belt I 08 are confined between the belt and the surface of the cooling drum II2 i during the passage of the belt over the surface of the drum. In this manner a substantial por- I tion of the heat is removed from the slabs. In addition, by thus cooling one surface of each of the slabs, namely the surface in contact with the drum II2, the volatile matter or gases contained within the slab are driven away from the cooled surface toward the warmer surface which is in contact with the belt. Due to the cooling of one surface the material which comprises the slabs is densified adjacent that surface. In this manner volatile material contained within the slab is literally pressed or forced from the material adjacent the concave surface of the slab or the cooled surface thereof.

The warmer surface of the slab is adjacent the belt and said warmer surface also comprises the convex surface, hence the volatile material driven from the cooled surface of the slab can easily escape through the less dense material compris- I ing the outer convex or warmer surface. By thus expelling the volatile material contained The slabs adhering to the surface of within the slab, subsequent blistering orthe formationx'ofx air pockets is eliminated.

The belt. I08- upon leaving the surface of the drum H2 is carried around pulleys Ill, H8 and II9:and. returns over pulley I853. The pulley I 09 may be mounted upon shaft illiiwhich, in turn, may be. journalled in. bearing I2I slidably positioned between guides I22 and I23. The bearing I2I may be longitudinally moved between the guidesv I22 and E23 by meansof the screw I 24 surface-of'the drum II2, said slabs are stripped from the surface of the drum by means of the stripping knife I21 mounted upon the frame I I6. The slabs thus-removed from the surface ofthe drum-H2 are deposited upon the belt I28 which passes around pulley I29 immediately beneath the position'of the stripping knife I27. The slabs-I2: are so deposited upon the belt I28 that the cooled surface thereof is disposedadjacent the belt I28 and the warmer surface thereof faces upwardly. Upon forward motion of the belt I28 the same is carried around cooling drum I 30 which may be constructedisimilarly to the drum H2; the drum I30 also having a hollow interior and being supplied with a cooling medium through the pipe I3 I. Thedrum I319 may be mounted upon shaft I 32 which. may be journalled in bearings I33 mounted'uponthe frame H6. The belt I28.is carried around: the drum I30: andv covers a substantial portion of the area of said drum. In passing over the surface of said drum the slabs 'IZ-are confined between the belt and the drum. However, at this period, the cooled surfaces of the slabs are disposed-adjacent the belt whereas the uncooled surfaces are maintained'adjacent the cooling surfaceof'therdrum. In'this manner the heat is removedfromthe warmer surface of theslab and the'material adjacent thereto.

'I'hebelt l28=upon leaving the surface of the drum I3El-is carried around pulleys I'M-and- 535 and'returned over the pulley r29; The'pulley I35Jmay be mountedupon shaft l35kwhich -may bejournalledin bearing lill', slidably positioned betweenthe guides 63% and E39. Thebearing 537' may belongitudinally moved between the guides I38iand 539 by means of'screw left, which may be actuated'by nut i l! and locked by nut hi2. By this arrangement the tension of the belt I28 may beadjusted. 7

At the point of travey where the belt I28 breaks contact with the surface of the drum I30, the slabs 12" carried between the belt'and'the drum are-stripped from the surface of the drum by meansof the stripping knife i 53 which maybe of similar construction to the knife I 21. The slab-s thus stripped from the surface of thedrum I3Il-are carried forwardly to the conveyor belts I44 which travel around pulleys I45 and I45; The pulley I lfimay be mounted upon shaft I47,

said shaft also being adapted tocarry a sprocket wheel; not shomrnover whichxsprocket chain I 38:

travels; said sprocket chainalso passing around a sprocket wheel; not sho\m., mounted upon the At a subsequent period of travel of the slabs upon the;

the end of the forward travel 'ofthe belts M l-the slabs 'IZrare delivered to the rack I which may be provided with stop I5I. The slabs 72 thus delivered to the rack I56 may then be removed manually or mechanically to a suitable punch press, not'shown, equipped with dies for cutting tiles of desired shapes anddimensions. A sectional view of one of the tiles is shown at I12 in Fig. 10.

If the slabs I2 are not brought to a suitable cutting temperature, dilficulty will be encountered in'cutting said slabs. If, for instance, the slabs are too warm, imperfect cuts will be made by the dies whereas if the slabs are too cold the cutting will result in chipped edges of the tiles and the lives of the cutting knives or dies of the press will be materially shortened. To bring the slabs to a desired cutting temperature, of course, will depend upon the thickness of the slabs and the rate of passage of the slabs through the cooling portion of the machine. For a given rate of passage through the machine and a predetermined temperature of the surfaces of the cooling drums which may be controlled within certain limits by controlling the passage of water or other cooling medium therethrough, a slab of thickness of approximately one eighth inch may be suificiently cooled by one passage through the cooling portion of the machine. However, with other factors remaining constant, if the slabs are of greater thickness, one passage of the slabs throughthe cooling portion of the machine may not suilice t lower the temperature of the slabs to the desired. degree for cutting. Consequently I have provided a means and a method of returning the slabs,. after their passage through the cooling portion of the machine, to the belt ma whereby the slabs may be again carried through the cool-- ing' unit.

To accomplish this end I have provided a switching mechanism I52 which may comprise a member which may be loosely journalled upon shaft I54, the same shaft which carries pulley IS E The member I53 may carry arcuate plate I54 provided with handle I555. The member I53 may also carry an extension Ilifiwhich, in turn, may support acounterweight I5? which may normally maintain the arcuate plate E5 in the position shown in Fig. 6. An arm i553 may be carricdby the weight lift-and a roller I59 may be rotatably mounted upon the end of arm, said roller being adapted to ride upon the surface of the belt I28 during its passage over the pulley I34.

To pass the slabs l2 through the cooling mcch- 4 anism comprising the drums H2 and I3!) but once, the switching mechanism I52 will be positioned as shown best in Fig. 6. If a greater degree of cooling is desired the member I53 may be rocked in aclockwise direction by means of handle I55until the lower edge of the arcuate blade E54 lies beneath the surface of the stripping knife I43. It can readily be seen that as the slabs I2 are stripped from the surface of the roll I38, the forward edges of said slabs contact the concave face of the arcuate member 35 and are directed upwardly. Said forward edges in passing upwardly are inserted between the surface of the belt IZS-and the roller I59 and are thus carried upon the surface of' the belt as shown best at IGIIin Fig. '7.

The slabs carried upon the upper surface of the belt I28 are delivered to a chute Nil mounted upon'frame I it when the belt IESpasses over the pulleyv 5352: The chute I5: directs the slabs to this manner each of the slabs stripped fromthe drum I30 are carried around the pulley I34 upon the belt I28 and are deposited in seriesupon the belt I08 whereby said slabs may again be passed through the cooling unit. As has been hereinbefore described the slabs, depending upontheir thickness, may be passed through the cooling unit once or any number of times sufficient to properly coolthe material to a desired cutting temperature.

The size of unit batches which are made up or mixed in the mixing units 8 and 28, are so proportioned as to comprise a desired number of slabs which, if passed through the cooling unit more than once, will not be overlapped by the slabs being returned from the chute IISI. That is, the first recycled slab delivered to the belt I88 from the chute I6I will be delivered to said belt following the passage of the last slab initially entering the cooling unit. If the slabs are to be delivered through the cooling unit but once, the batches mixed in the units 8 and 28 may be substantially larger. Of course, it is to be understood that if the slabs are to be passed through the cooling unit but once, the calendering and cooling units of the machine may be run continuously, that is, properly mixed material may be continuously forwarded to the first calender unit 48.

The driving mechanism for the cooling drums II 2 and I39 may comprise a sprocket wheel I62 mounted upon shaft 89. Sprocket chain I 63 may pass over the wheel I62 and may connect said wheel with sprocket wheel I64 mounted upon shaft I32. A pulley I65 may be mounted upon shaft I32 and may be operatively connected to pulley wheel I65 mounted upon shaft II4 by means of belt I51. The belt I61 may be crossed in order to impart reversed directions of rotation to the drums I30 and H2.

If desired, conventional circular slitting knives (not shown) may be mounted adjacent and operate in conjunction with calender roll 88 of the second calendar unit 89'. The knives may be adjusted to trim the edges of the slabs 12 or to sever each slab into two or more units. Of course, it is to be understood that the slitting knives may be eliminated since they comprise no part of my broad invention. 7

The making of slabs of composition material from which unit tiles may subsequently be out has hereinbefore been described, the slabs being of one color. However, my invention broadly contemplates the making of slabs which may be subsequently cut into tile of desired dimensions with faces resembling marble, that is, in regard to the swirls or configurations which are characteristic of marble.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs, of a cooling zone comprising, moving cooling surfaces adapted to successively contact opposite faces of said slabs and means for returning said slabs for repassage through the cooling means.

2. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs, of a cooling zone comprising, a plurality of rotatable drums, means for cooling said drums, an endless belt carried upon a portion of the periphery of each drum, means for depositing the slabs from said conveying means upon the belt of the first drum, means for stripping the slabs from the first drum and depositing them on the belt carried by the second drum, and means adjacent the last drum for stripping the slabs therefrom and returning them to the belt of the first drum forrepassage through the cooling zone.

, 3. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs, of a cooling zone comprising, a plurality of rotatable drums, means for cooling said drums, an

endless belt carried upon a portion of the periphery of each drum, means for depositing the slabs from said conveying means upon the belt of the first drum, means for stripping the slabs from .the first drum and depositing them on the belt carried by the second drum, means adjacent the last drum for stripping the slabs therefrom, and means adjacent said stripping means for redepositing said slabs upon the belt of the last drum whereby said slabs are deposited upon the belt of the first drum for repassage through the cooling zone.

4. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs, of a cooling zone comprising, a plurality of rotatable drums, means for cooling said drums, an endless belt carried upon a portion of the periphery of each drum, means for depositing the slabs from said conveying means upon the belt of the first drum, means for stripping the slabs from the first drum and depositing them on the belt carried by the second drum, means adjacent the last drum for stripping the slabs therefrom, and means adjacent the stripping means for deflecting the slabs into contact with the belt of the last drum comprising a curvilinear surface movable into and out of the path of travel of the slabs, whereby the slabs are deposited upon the belt of the last drum and reconveyed to the belt of the first drum for repassage in contact with the belt of the first drum.

5. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs of a cooling zone comprising, a pair of rotating cooling drums, an endless conveyor in contact with a portion of the periphery of one of. said.

drums, means for depositing unit slabs from said conveying means upon said endless conveyor whereby said slabs are carried upon said drum beneath said endless conveyor, a second endless conveyor above said first endless conveyor in contact with a portion of the periphery of the second drum, means for removing said slabs from said first drum and depositing them in reverse position upon said second endless conveyor whereby the opposite faces of said slabs are brought into contact with said second drum beneath said second endless conveyor, means for removing said slabs from said second drum and depositing them upon said second endless conveyor whereby said slabs are dropped from said second endless conveyor to said first endless conveyor.

6. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs of a cooling zone comprising means for successively bringing opposite faces of. said slabs into contact with a cooling surface.

7. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs, of a cooling zone comprising moving cooling surfaces adapted to successively contact opposite faces of said slabs.

8. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs, of a cooling zone comprising, a plurality of rotatable drums, means for cooling said drums,

ripheryof each drum, means'fordepositingthe slabs from said conveying means upon the belt of the first drum, means-for stripping the slabs from thei'first drum andfdepositing' them on the belt carried by these'cond drumgand means-adjacent the last drum' for shipping the slabs therefrom.

9. In a machine of the character described the combination with means for conveying unit slabs -'of a cooling zone comprising, a pair of rotating cooling drums, an endless conveyor in contact witha portion of the periphery o f-one of said drums, means for depositing unit slabs from said an endless belt carried upon aportion of the-peconveying #means :upon said endless conveyor beneath said endless conveyon-a second endless conveyonabovesaid first endless conveyor in contact vi-ith -a portiom of the periphery-- of the sec 'dfiddT-inn, means for reinovingssaid slabs from *said 'first drum and depositing-them in reverse -position upon said second endless conveyorwhereby the opposite faces of sai'd slabs are' brought into contact with said second drum beneathsaid second endless conveyonand means fOT-TGDIOV- ing said slabs from said second drum.

' GEORGE P. HEPPES. 

